A half glass of water is placed in front of you and you are asked; is this glass half full or half empty? If you say it is half full, you are considered to be an optimist since you look for the small joys and hope for more. In case you say the glass is half empty, then you are a pessimist who only sees problems and woes. I have had people ask me which of these two I am, and I would always ask them, why should I be one or the other only, can't I be both? I have never received a satisfactory answer for that question yet. For me, there are times when things seem upbeat and opportunistic, where I can see the bright side of circumstances. But most often, I do tend to question things multiple times and the silver lining is never to be found. I recently went for an onsite interview and after it was over, I was told by multiple people to think positively, that by thinking happy thoughts and being positive I will be lucky and will surely get a positive response. Now how much of this should I really believe? Unfortunately, I did not get that job. Is it because I was not positively thinking about the job and my prospects or was it simply because they found someone more qualified for it? I like to believe it was the latter. Still the question remains, am I a pessimist or an optimist? Can I be both or neither?
